EXPERT ON:
◉ Entrepreneurship & Innovation
◉ Work-Life Balance & Focus
◉ Customer Experience & Branding
EXPERIENCE:
◉ Serial Entrepreneur & CEO (“The Handshake Millionaire”) — Michael has built, scaled, and sold multiple multi-million dollar businesses across check cashing, tax prep, mortgage lending, title loans, and real estate, creating 52 physical locations and achieving seven-figure exits.
◉ Hands-On Operator & Mentor — Drawing from over two decades in the trenches, Michael guides entrepreneurs and small business owners to break through growth barriers, build lasting systems, and achieve success without sacrificing sanity or integrity.
◉ Authentic Speaker & Leadership Advocate — A U.S. Coast Guard Captain, conservationist, and founder of CajunOdysea, Michael delivers no-nonsense talks and workshops with actionable strategies, real-world stories, and a relationship-first philosophy that helps businesses thrive while serving life, not consuming it.
◉ Regulated-Industry Business Builder — Former owner of licensed cannabis dispensaries, gaining firsthand experience operating and scaling businesses in highly regulated environments while navigating compliance, operations, and risk management.
Michael Gray, known as “The Handshake Millionaire,” is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of All American Entrepreneurs. With a career spanning over two decades, Michael has built, scaled, and sold multiple multi-million dollar businesses, including 52 physical locations across check cashing, tax prep, title loans, mortgage lending, and real estate.
His approach is simple: business should serve your life, not consume it. Michael’s no-nonsense, relationship-first philosophy has helped countless small box retailers break through growth barriers, create lasting systems, and achieve seven-figure exits—without sacrificing their sanity or integrity.
A true operator and mentor, Michael’s expertise comes from the trenches. He’s navigated the challenges of regulation, taxes, and expansion the hard way, now sharing those hard-won lessons so others can succeed faster.
As a U.S. Coast Guard Captain, conservationist, and founder of CajunOdysea, Michael brings the same hands-on, authentic leadership to every stage and workshop. His talks cut through hype—delivering actionable strategies, real-world stories, and a call to build businesses that create freedom, wealth, and genuine impact.
If you want raw, practical advice from someone who’s actually done it, Michael’s your guy.
